Areas of Expertise : Education
Accountability Systems in Education
AIR has an in-depth, state-by-state understanding of educational accountability systems, built in part on two major national evaluations over the past five years. These systems include policies related to content and proficiency standards, assessments used to determine adequate yearly progress (AYP), annual measurable objective (AMO) trajectories, state accountability workbooks, and strategies used to support low-performing schools. In these efforts, AIR collected comprehensive interview data for all 50 states, compiled and analyzed the largest and most comprehensive existing database of AYP performance, analyzed nationally-representative survey data, and created a series of policy-relevant reports.
Recent Reports
- State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act Volume VI - Targeting and Uses of Federal Education Funds (TRAC)
- Achievement Gaps: How Black and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Math and Reading
- Help Wanted: State Capacity for School Improvement
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Adult Education
Adult Education enables adults to acquire the basic skills necessary to function in today's society so that they can benefit from the completion of secondary school, enhanced family life, attain citizenship and participate in job training and retraining programs. AIR’s adult learning work focuses on adult literacy, English language learning, and adult learning environments such as community colleges. We conduct research and provide professional development and technical assistance to state and program staff. Our team includes former teachers and practitioners, researchers, data analysts, and professional development specialists.
Recent Reports
- Changing the Odds: Informing Policy with Research on How Adult Learners Succeed
- Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education
- Transitioning English Language Learners, Annotated Bibliography
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Adult English as a Second Language
AIR evaluates strategies for teaching adults English, identifies promising programs, and recommends ways to promote effective approaches.
Recent Reports
- Transitioning English Language Learners, Annotated Bibliography
- Conducting Large-Scale Research in Adult ESL: Challenges and Approaches for the Explicit Literacy Impact Study
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Assistive Technology
Assistive technology (AT) includes any technology item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. AIR evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of devices designed to improve functional capabilities of students with disabilities.
Recent Reports
- The Use of Simulation for Training Teamwork Skills in Health Care
- Toward a Generalized Human Factors Taxonomy for Classifying ASAP Incident Reports, AQP Performance Ratings, and FOQA Output
- A Review of Selected Aviation Human Factors Taxonomies, Accident/Incident Reporting Systems, and Data Reporting Tools
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
At-risk Populations in the Educational Setting
AIR conducts research and evaluation on individual, school, and community interventions for students who are at risk for poor school and community outcomes. Further, AIR provides consultation and technical assistance for developing and implementing such interventions. AIR’s approaches involve promotion, prevention, early intervention, dropout prevention, and treatment. They are strength-based and child- and youth-guided or driven.
Recent Reports
- Student Victimization in U.S. Public Schools: Results from the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey
- Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the United States
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Behavior in the Educational Setting
AIR conducts research and evaluation, synthesizes information, and provides technical assistance regarding positive behavioral and relational approaches to student behavior and school discipline. AIR staff use research to identify effective and ineffective approaches, and to study and support the scale–up and alignment of evidence- and theory-based approaches. AIR’s foci include individual, classroom-based, school-wide, and community-supported approaches to improving student behavior and school discipline.
Recent Reports
- Student Victimization in U.S. Public Schools: Results from the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Audit: Findings and Recommendations
- Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2007
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Behavior Modeling
AIR’s applied behavioral modeling work provides scientific support to programs investigating asymmetric conflicts, behavioral threat detection, and emergency response. We support these initiatives by:
- applying statistical and measurement techniques,
- broadening the scope of the scientific basis for addressing these problems,
- evaluating research programs against best practices,
- implementing high quality database development procedures, and
- creating unique experimental designs to answer key behavioral research questions.
Recent Projects
Bullying
Any child can be bullied, and up to half of all children are bullied at some point during their school years. Technology makes it easier for tech-savvy kids to intimidate others through cyberbullying and other forms of electronic harassment – even at school. AIR’s experts have helped establish measures for collecting student- and school-level data on bullying behavior at school in expertise areas like traditional bullying and cyberbullying. AIR conducts extensive statistical and descriptive analyses on the prevalence and correlates of bullying in schools. AIR staff have served as content area experts to national surveys and regional organizations conducting research on bullying in their locales.
Recent Reports
Child Welfare
The child welfare system provides services designed to promote the well-being of children by ensuring safety, achieving permanency, and strengthening families to successfully care for their children. AIR provides training and technical assistance to promote cross-system collaboration and improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system. AIR also conducts research on national trends in the child welfare system and develops publications that support and empower families in navigating the complex child welfare system.
Recent Reports
Classroom Instruction
Understanding and improving classroom instruction is a central component of many of AIR’s evaluation and technical assistance projects. AIR designs high- and low-inference classroom observation tools and, using highly trained observers, conducts observations in a variety of classroom settings. Data on classroom instruction are integrated into recommendations for improving schools and classrooms.
Recent Reports
- Expectations and Reports of Homework for Public School Students in the First, Third, and Fifth Grades
- Meeting the Needs of Significantly Struggling Learners in High School: A Look at Approaches to Tiered Intervention
- Effects of a Universal Classroom Behavior Management Program
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Common Core Data
The Common Core of Data (CCD) is an annual collection of public elementary and secondary education data administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and its collection agent, the U.S. Census Bureau. The surveys of the CCD system include data, such as enrollment, grades levels, minority population, and poverty level, from all public schools and local education agencies. AIR provides professional and technical services for all aspects of data file preparation, file review, data analysis, preparation of data file documentation, and writing of substantive reports.
Recent Reports
Conditions for Learning
Successful schools must create and maintain effective conditions for learning. Such conditions have historically been regarded as including high-quality pedagogy, well-trained teachers, adequate resources, and effective leadership. AIR has proposed that educators also examine the social and emotional conditions for learning—the factors that ensure students feel safe and supported in school. AIR conducts research and evaluation, designs and analyzes surveys, synthesizes information, develops tools to improve, and provides consultation and technical assistance regarding student and teacher perceptions of safety, support, and connectedness; academic challenge and engagement; and individual and peer social emotional learning. AIR’s work is both national and international and includes consultation with districts, states, federal officials, and Ministries of Education regarding how to monitor and improve conditions for learning and teaching.
Recent Reports
Recent Projects
Disproportionality Issues in Special Education
AIR plays a leading role in providing states with support for responding to disproportionality in special education through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)-funded centers such as the National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI), the K-8 Access Center, and the Elementary and Middle School TA Center (EMSTAC). In addition to working with individual states, AIR staff collaborate on this topic with the Harvard Civil Rights Project, presenting at numerous national conferences and providing training to educators in local districts and schools.
Recent Projects
Early Childhood Education
AIR conducts research to assist in the development of programs and policies that aid young children and their families, including many large-scale studies of early care and education programs for states and the federal government. AIR also designs results-based accountability systems for child development programs, conducts statewide assessments of supply and demand for preschool and infant/toddler services, and has developed a Preschool Cost Estimator.
Recent Reports
- Expectations and Reports of Homework for Public School Students in the First, Third, and Fifth Grades
- Impact of Two Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement Report
- Eighth Grade: First Findings From the Final Round of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K)
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Initiative
- First 5 Los Angeles Family Literacy Initiative Evaluation
- Evaluation of Early Childhood Programs for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Education Adequacy and Equity
AIR economists analyze distributions of federal, state, and local dollars to assess the adequacy of school funding to meet state educational goals and to develop mechanisms to ensure resources are distributed to meet the diverse needs of various student populations.
Recent Reports
- Achievement Gaps: How Black and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Math and Reading
- Successful California Schools in the Context of Educational Adequacy
- Efficiency and Adequacy in California School Finance: A Professional Judgment Approach
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Education Assessment
AIR offers a full range of assessment services, collaborating with our state and district clients, to develop and deploy customized, criterion-referenced assessment programs to help students learn, teachers teach, and parents know what is happening at school. More information about the full range of assessment activities is provided on the Education Assessment Web page.
Recent Reports
- Psychometric Advances in Alternate Assessment
- Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education
- Achievement Gaps: How Black and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Math and Reading
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Egypt’s Education Reform Program
- Evaluation of Proposition 227
- Evaluation of the Early College High School Initiative
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Education Assessment and Evaluation in Developing Countries
AIR plays a strong role in shaping education assessment and evaluation in developing countries. Our educational assessment work helps to determine what students should know and be able to do in relation to standards and curriculum. AIR’s work includes formative, summative, diagnostic, and international assessment, and is used to measure student or system performance. It is also used for accountability at the school or district level. Our evaluation work involves carefully collecting information about a project or program in order to assess effectiveness and make decisions.
Recent Reports
- Child Friendly Schools Evaluation: Country Report for Nigeria
- Child Friendly Schools Evaluation: Country Report for Thailand
- International Benchmarks in Mathematics For U.S. States and School Districts
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Mejorando el Impacto al Desempeño Estudiantil de Honduras (MIDEH-Honduras)
- Malawi’s Primary School Support Program: A School Fees Pilot (PSSP:SFP)
- Ukrainian Standardized External Testing Initiative (USETI)
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Education Finance and Cost Analysis
AIR’s experts have helped establish the national agenda in education finance, leading the development and use of innovative resource allocation and cost models to address a range of education finance and policy issues from early intervention through postsecondary education. Our nationally recognized researchers apply state-of-the-art methods to conduct large-scale studies of resource allocation in education at the federal, state, and local levels. AIR has worked with state policy makers to provide new funding formulas to states or school districts to ensure sufficient resources are available to meet the educational needs of difficult-to-serve student populations.
Recent Reports
- Status of K-12 Education in California at a Time of Fiscal Crisis: Preliminary Results
- The Ohio High School Transformation Initiative: A Study of Financial Sustainability
- State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act Volume VI - Targeting and Uses of Federal Education Funds (TRAC)
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Education Technology
Technology offers tremendous promise for learning and has ignited the imagination of those who are interested in bringing about revolutionary gains in the achievement of all students. Yet, with this great potential, the use of technology in schools also raises a whole host of challenges, including those related to cost-effectiveness, equity, and safety.
AIR has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure sound investments in technology in education. Our staff evaluate technology-based education programs and curricula, and provide guidance on systems for collecting, analyzing, and using data in making classroom and school data-driven decision making.
Recent Reports
- Changing the Odds: Informing Policy with Research on How Adult Learners Succeed
- The Digital Disconnect
- Integrated Studies of Educational Technology (ISET)
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI)
- Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd)
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Educational Organization and Leadership
Paired with expertise in organizational and leadership theory, AIR boasts a staff that includes several former district and school leaders and works closely with several large- and mid-sized districts conducting evaluation and providing technical assistance that requires an understanding of how educational organizations and leaders work.
Recent Reports
English Language Learners
AIR operates a center to address the specific needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) by strengthening the connections between knowledge, practice, and policy development. AIR’s work emphasizes integration of English language learning skills across content areas, providing research to inform policy development around best practices for teaching ELLs, and technical assistance to support such practice. Specific topics include access to preschool, alternative assessments, evaluations of relevant federal and state policies, and analysis of effective strategies to improve English language learning.
Recent Reports
- Common ELL Terms and Definitions
- English Language Learners - Annotated Bibliography
- Common Assumptions vs. the Evidence: English Language Learners in the United States
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Evaluation of Educational Programs and Policies
AIR is a national leader in identifying and evaluating education environments and systems both locally and nationally. We help stakeholders determine which policies and practices are most effective in their schools and communities. AIR provides a range of program assessment and evaluation tasks, including: developing evaluation plans; training; technical assistance; formative research; survey design and analysis; and process and outcome evaluations.
Recent Reports
- Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education
- Six Years and Counting: The ECHSI Matures (2009)
- International Benchmarks in Mathematics For U.S. States and School Districts
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study
- Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence (FLaRE)
- Evaluation of Proposition 227
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Evidence-Based Research Synthesis in Education
AIR applies rigorous standards to the review and synthesis of research to determine what approaches to education are based on high quality evidence. Our staff help set standards for the quality of impact studies, through the What Works Clearinghouse and Doing What Works, as well as other federal, foundation, and state projects. AIR also develops tools for analyzing data across studies and manages complex reviews.
Recent Reports
- Using NAEP, the “Nation’s Report Card,” to Assess the Student Proficiency Standards Set by States
- Title I Implementation: Update on Recent Evaluation Findings
- Effects of the Implementation of Proposition 227 on the Education of English Learners, K-12
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Recent Products
Fast Response Survey System (FRSS)
AIR’s work with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) includes the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), which was established to collect issue-oriented data quickly and with minimum response burden on key education issues at the elementary and secondary levels. It was designed to meet the data needs of U.S. Department of Education analysts, planners and decisionmakers when information could not be collected quickly through NCES’s large recurring surveys. Findings from FRSS surveys have been included in Congressional reports, testimony to congressional subcommittees, NCES reports, and other Department of Education reports. The findings are also often used by state and local education officials. Click here for more information on FRSS.
Federal Education Statistics
AIR’s experts contribute to the development of high-quality statistics about education that inform discussion, debate, and planning at national, state, and local levels. AIR:
- develops data collection instruments for large-scale surveys and assessments,
- plans and implements strategies to assure high-quality data,
- analyzes data and writes reports to monitor continuing and emerging topics,
- conducts methodological studies in statistics and large-scale surveys and assessments, and
- facilitates communication among statisticians, survey methodologists, practitioners, policy analysts, researchers, and the public for input and dissemination of findings.
Recent Reports
- More Females than Males Earned College Degrees in 2008, According to NCES Report
- Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education
- Achievement Gaps: How Black and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Math and Reading
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well Being
- Education Statistics Services Institute
- National Assessment of Educational Progress Education Statistics Service Institute (NAEP ESSI)
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Federal, State, and District Education Policy
AIR works closely with government agencies at the federal, state, and district level to examine how they have structured their systems of support to address the needs of low-performing schools and the degree to which the strategies employed by these systems facilitate improved school and classroom practices, and, ultimately, improved student achievement. AIR most recently conducted an in-depth investigation in six states, collecting data primarily from interviews with key stakeholders at the state, district, and school level and extant sources, and collected survey data from all 50 states.
Recent Reports
- Using NAEP, the “Nation’s Report Card,” to Assess the Student Proficiency Standards Set by States
- Help Wanted: State Capacity for School Improvement
- State Systems of Support Under NCLB: Design Components and Quality Considerations
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Evaluation of Proposition 227
- New Mexico Public Funding Formula
- National Longitudinal Study of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Good Behavior Game
The Good Behavior Game is a behavioral classroom management strategy that involves helping children learn how to work together to create a positive learning environment. It promotes each child’s positive behavior by rewarding student teams for complying with criteria set for appropriate behavior, such as working quietly, following directions, or being polite to each other. The team-based approach uses peer encouragement to help children follow rules and learn how to be good students. At the same time, it enables teachers to build strong academic skills and positive behaviors.
AIR evaluates the implementation and impact of the Good Behavior Game approach to managing classroom behaviors. Through a series of related studies, AIR has developed a strong evidence base around the impact of this approach.
Recent Reports
Recent Projects
High School Improvement
AIR provides technical assistance and designs, analyzes, synthesizes, and distributes research and information about promising and proven practices that inform the national debate about policies and strategies for high school improvement. Our expertise and work leading the National High School Center for the U.S. Department of Education, and the Early College High School Readiness project for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are examples of our contributions to the field.
Recent Reports
- What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities
- Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004-05
- Approaches to Dropout Prevention: Heeding Early Warning Signs With Appropriate Interventions
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Recent Products
Implementation of Educational Programs and Policies
AIR evaluates the implementation of educational programs, policies, and practices, and provides recommendations to improve implementation. We also look at capacity, challenges, and strategies for scaling up model programs and practices.
Recent Reports
- A Tale of Two Districts: A Comparative Study of Student-Based Funding and School-Based Decision Making in San Francisco and Oakland Unified School Districts (Report)
- Implementing Girls’ Scholarship Programs: Guiding Principles
- Public School Practices for Violence Prevention and Reduction: 2003–04
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Literacy
AIR’s work in reading and literacy spans early childhood to adult education, and focuses on literacy in schools and the workplace. Varied methodologies include quantitative and qualitative analyses, cognitive laboratory interviews and critical incident exercises, and evidence-based technical assistance. Whether investigating teacher knowledge about beginning reading instruction, studying the effectiveness of computer-based reading interventions, or providing guidance about adolescent struggling readers, sound theoretical principles and scientifically-based evidence are AIR’s touchstones.
Recent Reports
- The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study Final Report
- Building Capacity: An Evaluation of Florida Literacy and Reading Excellence (FLaRE) Professional Development to High Schools
- Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy (TEAL) Center
- Using Social Marketing and Community Engagement to Help Low-Income Children Get Ready to Read
- Egypt’s Education Reform Program
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Longitudinal Data Systems
Longitudinal data systems are useful tools capable of tracking a variety of student and school information over multiple years, and often in multiple schools. AIR’s expertise in using these systems for student assessments, user friendly reporting, value added modeling, and identifying highly effective teachers help states and districts answer the next generation of policy and practice-relevant questions.
Recent Reports
- Eighth Grade: First Findings From the Final Round of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K)
- Interpreting 12th-Graders’ NAEP-Scaled Mathematics Performance Using High School Predictors and Postsecondary Outcomes from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988
- Fifth Grade: Findings From The Fifth-Grade Follow-up of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K)
- View All Reports
Mathematics Education
The successful teaching and learning of mathematics plays an increasingly important role in ensuring that U.S. students have the right skills required to compete in a global economy. AIR has development and research expertise in the areas of curriculum review, alignment, and evaluation; research-based instructional practices; effective professional development; the development and alignment of high quality assessments; and international comparisons.
Recent Reports
- Raising Expectations for Mathematics Instruction in California: Algebra and Beyond
- Informing Grades 1-6 Mathematics Standards Development: What Can Be Learned From High-Performing Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore
- A Literature Review of STEM Graduate Education
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- The Mathematics Professional Development (PD) Impact Study
- Increasing Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Education and Professions
- View All Projects
Recent Products
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative assessment of English literacy among American adults age 16 and older. Sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), NAAL is the nation's most comprehensive measure of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). AIR provides technical assistance and management support, including expert analysis, and technical review of assessment frameworks, field test items, and reports. We also provide technical assistance on NAAL-restricted and public use files.
Recent Reports
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Assessments are conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history. It serves as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts and as a result, permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time. AIR’s experts provide support for all aspects of the survey, including:
- assessment development;
- providing a quality review on data files;
- producing data products and reports;
- providing training staff;
- developing informational materials; and
- providing quick turnaround analysis upon request.
Recent Reports
- The Effects of Finite Sampling Corrections on State Assessment Sample Requirements
- Using NAEP, the “Nation’s Report Card,” to Assess the Student Proficiency Standards Set by States
- Utility and Validity of NAEP Linking Efforts
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- National Assessment of Educational Progress Education Statistics Service Institute (NAEP ESSI)
- View All Projects
Recent Products
National Educational Longitudinal Study
AIR recently conducted a project to analyze results of two national studies—the National Longitudinal Study of No Child Left Behind (NLS-NCLB) and the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality Under No Child Left Behind (SSI-NCLB). AIR provides support for the large-scale longitudinal surveys including data collection, design of future cohorts, and lending expertise for teaching researchers how to use large-scale databases.
Recent Projects
National Household Education Survey (NHES)
The National Household Education Survey (NHES) program provides descriptive data on the educational activities of the U.S. population. The surveys cover learning at all ages, from early childhood to school age through adulthood. AIR’s experts provide support for all aspects of the survey, including:
- developing questionnaires;
- assisting with sample design;
- assisting with disclosure review analyses;
- providing a quality review on data files;
- producing data products and reports;
- providing training staff;
- developing incentives and informational materials; and
- providing quick turnaround analysis upon request.
Recent Reports
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Title I
AIR is a leader in the evaluation of state and district implementation of the accountability, teacher quality, and English language acquisition provisions outlined in Title I, Title II, and Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), reauthorized in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). AIR’s work has served as one of the major sources of data for the National Assessment of Title I and other reports to the U.S. Congress. Currently, AIR is conducting a national evaluation of state and local implementation of Title III standards, assessments, and accountability systems concerning English language learners for the U.S. Department of Education.
Recent Reports
- Psychometric Advances in Alternate Assessment
- State and Local Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act Volume VI - Targeting and Uses of Federal Education Funds (TRAC)
- International Benchmarks in Mathematics For U.S. States and School Districts
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Performance Measurement
AIR supports the development and use of outcome-based performance assessment to help educators focus on what students actually can do after they are taught. AIR also uses performance measurement data in its evaluations of educational programs.
Recent Reports
- Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education
- Integrating State Administrative Records To Manage Substance Abuse Treatment System Performance
- Post-Training Feedback: The Relative Effectiveness of Team- Versus Instructor-Led Debriefs
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Persons with Disabilities
AIR has nationally recognized experts who address the needs of persons with disabilities, their families, and their service providers. AIR has expertise in federal and state policies in early intervention, special education, and vocational rehabilitation. We are also experts in translating rigorous research into improved practice in states and localities across the country.
Recent Projects
Postsecondary Education
AIR’s research and evaluation work in postsecondary education identifies successful practices to increase educational access and to coordinate K-12 preparation with postsecondary needs. We explore cost-effective ways to deliver postsecondary educational services and training, and help colleges and universities foster environments that maximize learning, research productivity, and innovation.
Recent Reports
- Delivering on the Promise: An Impact Evaluation of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program
- Status and Trends in the Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives: 2008
- Postsecondary Career/Technical Education: Changes in the Number of Offering Institutions and Awarded Credentials from 1997 to 2006
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Professional Development
Recent Reports
- A Literature Review of STEM Graduate Education
- Impact of Two Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement Report
- Reviewing the Evidence on How Teacher Professional Development Affects Student Achievement
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- The Mathematics Professional Development (PD) Impact Study
- Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a system of international assessments that focus on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. It emphasizes functional skills that students have acquired as they near the end of mandatory schooling. PISA is organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organization of industrialized countries. Begun in 2000, PISA is administered every 3 years. AIR’s experts provide analytical support for U.S. participation in PISA, as well as technical consultation and management support, including expert analysis, and technical review of assessment frameworks, field test items, and reports.
Recent Reports
- Lessons Learned from U.S. International Science Performance
- Comparing Mathematics Content in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 Assessments
- Comparing Science Content in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 Assessments
- View All Reports
Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
The Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) measures the literacy and numeracy skills of people between the ages of 16 and 65. It also examines how well people solve problems in technology-rich environments. The first administration of PIAAC will be in 2011. AIR provides technical consultation and management support to PIACC, including expert analysis and technical review of assessment frameworks, field test items, and reports.
Program Support and Evaluation
AIR’s team of evaluation and workforce experts work with government and private sector clients to develop and improve programs, systems, and processes to optimize organizational performance. We conduct process and impact evaluations, applying our expertise in research design, data collection, and quantitative and qualitative analysis to determine program effectiveness and to identify best practices. Our evaluations provide concrete, actionable recommendations to align and improve programs, systems, and work processes.
Recent Reports
- Public School Practices for Violence Prevention and Reduction: 2003–04
- Random Assignment in Program Evaluation and Intervention Research: Questions and Answers
- A Guide for Education Personnel: Evaluating a Program or Intervention
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international comparative study of the reading literacy of young students. PIRLS studies the reading achievement and reading behaviors and attitudes of fourth-grade students in the U.S. and students in the equivalent of fourth grade in other participating countries. AIR’s experts provide analytical support for U.S. participation in PIRLS, including consultation and management support, expert analysis, and technical review of assessment frameworks, field test items, and reports.
School Crime and Safety
AIR conducts research and evaluation, synthesizes information, develops tools to improve, and provides consultation and technical assistance regarding school crime and safety. AIR’s work has included conducting school and district audits, collecting and analyzing national data, and producing guides which have been released by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice. AIR also provides technical assistance and support for questionnaire development and sample design, producing and fully documenting analytic data files from raw survey data for the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) and for the School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey.
Recent Reports
- Student Victimization in U.S. Public Schools: Results from the 2005 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Audit: Findings and Recommendations
- Student Connection Research: Final Narrative Report to the Spencer Foundation
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
School Reform and Effectiveness
AIR’s efforts in the area of school reform and effectiveness encompass a broad range of issues, including comprehensive school reform, turnaround schools, and standards-based reform, as well as policies and practices that influence teacher effectiveness. We conduct evaluations and critical reviews of the research, identify promising and proven practices, and provide tools and technical assistance to help implement them.
Recent Reports
- Out of the Debate and Into the Schools: Comparing Practices and Strategies in Traditional, Pilot and Charter Schools in the City of Boston
- Raising Expectations for Mathematics Instruction in California: Algebra and Beyond
- Special Series on the Fresno Long Beach Learning Partnership: Perspectives of District Leaders
- View All Reports
Recent Projects
- Good Behavior Game
- AIR Helps Advance the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
- The National High School Center
- View All Projects
Recent Products
Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS)
The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), is an integrated sample survey of public and private schools, school districts, and principals and teachers. SASS informs decision makers and provides researchers with a wealth of relevant data on the nation’s elementary and secondary schools. AIR provides support for all aspects of SASS, including:
- developing questionnaires,
- assisting with sample design,
- writing code for data editing and data imputation,
- assisting with bias analyses of the data,
- assisting with disclosure review analyses,
- helping to define the data files,
- providing a quality review on data files,
- producing data products and reports,
- providing training staff,
- developing incentives and informational materials, and
- providing quick turnaround analysis upon request.
Recent Reports
- Education and Certification Qualifications of Departmentalized Public High-School Level Teachers of Core Subjects: Evidence from the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey
- Characteristics of Schools, Districts, Teachers, Principals, and School Libraries in the United States: 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey
- Changes in Instructional Hours in Four Subjects by Public School Teachers of Grades 1 Through 4
- View All Reports
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
The Center for STEM Education and Innovation is designed to meet demands for innovation and evidence to improve teaching and learning of 21st century science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills that students need to thrive in the global economy. We focus on the needs of all students, particularly struggling and disengaged students, those with learning disabilities, English language learners, and students for whom traditional education is not working. The Center draws on AIR’s experience working across all educational levels, subjects, and domains
Recent Reports
- Informing Grades 1-6 Mathematics Standards Development: What Can Be Learned From High-Performing Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore
- A Literature Review of STEM Graduate Education
- Lessons Learned from U.S. International Science Performance
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Recent Projects
- National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI)
- Increasing Underrepresented Minorities in STEM Education and Professions
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Recent Products
Social and Emotional Learning
AIR conducts a wide variety of work regarding the development and measurement of the social and emotional capacities of children, youth, and adults. This work includes development of individual assessments, support for the development of social and emotional learning standards and the efficient integration of academic and social emotional learning, and the alignment of social emotional learning with mental health interventions and positive behavioral approaches. AIR’s work in these areas is both national and international.
Recent Reports
- What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Audit: Findings and Recommendations
- Student Connection Research: Final Narrative Report to the Spencer Foundation
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Recent Projects
- Conditions for Learning
- Chicago Public Schools’ Student Connection Survey
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District Human Ware Initiative
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Recent Products
Special Education
AIR has a long history of conducting federal, state, and local projects designed to improve outcomes for children with disabilities, other disadvantaged children, and their families. We analyze and synthesize information related to policy initiatives in special education and early intervention. We assess and develop special education fiscal policy alternatives, measure special education costs, and conduct program evaluations such as the adequate yearly progress of students with disabilities. Additionally, AIR provides technical assistance support for implementing evidence-based practices in each of the 50 states and 10 U.S. territories, as well as in hundreds of local school districts.
Recent Reports
- What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools: A Focus on Students with Disabilities
- Psychometric Advances in Alternate Assessment
- Special Education Financing Study for the District of Columbia
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Recent Projects
- The National High School Center
- Center for Special Education Finance (CSEF)
- Special Education Expenditure Project (SEEP)
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Recent Products
Teacher Preparation and Professional Development
AIR is widely respected for its contributions to the policy discussions around teacher preparation and professional development, including alternative ways of measuring teacher effectiveness and changes in the teaching workforce related to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). We have:
- conducted multi-year evaluations of traditional and alternate route teacher preparation;
- national studies of the impact of professional development on teacher knowledge, practice, and student achievement; and
- research on teacher assignments and student work.
Recent Reports
- Impact of Two Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement Report
- Education and Certification Qualifications of Departmentalized Public High-School Level Teachers of Core Subjects: Evidence from the 2003-04 Schools and Staffing Survey
- Reviewing the Evidence on How Teacher Professional Development Affects Student Achievement
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Recent Projects
Teacher Quality and Effectiveness
Teachers have the greatest potential to impact student learning, and research has found that student achievement is related to teacher competence. AIR works to better understand and improve teacher effectiveness in the school setting. For example, we evaluate teacher preparation pathways, measure schools’ progress towards having “highly qualified teachers,” develop new teacher compensation strategies, and evaluate professional development approaches and programs. This work includes developing teacher knowledge tests and innovative approaches to measure teacher practice and student outcomes.
Recent Reports
- Title I Implementation: Update on Recent Evaluation Findings
- Reviewing the Evidence on How Teacher Professional Development Affects Student Achievement
- Qualifications of Public Secondary School History Teachers, 1999–2000
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Recent Projects
